


He Holds His Heart

by RyuichiSakuma



Series: What Were the Mugiwara Thinking? [13]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Brace yourself, Cool and prickly, I can’t believe I came up with a sequel for this!, I decided, I wrote this instead of doing chores, I wrote this instead of napping, I'm still pretty proud of it, M/M, Magic, Not really a happy story, Seal!Law, Selkie!Law, Sorry Not Sorry, Still not sorry for the previous chapter, Valentine's Day 2018, What's the opposite of warm and fluffy?, human!Luffy, mentions of ASL, my muse actually fucking stuck around for this, my muse is finally sober, this ended up warm and fluffy after all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 05:51:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13675548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyuichiSakuma/pseuds/RyuichiSakuma
Summary: Luffy is tired of being alone.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I suppose you can call this my Valentine’s Day story.
> 
> This story-poem (prose?) was inspired by the legend of the selkie. Normally its a woman that calls the selkie to her this way, but since this is a LuLaw….
> 
> I wrote this in less than two hours. When I read it to my beta Eiri, he thought it was brilliant. (^////^)
> 
> I was the last one to touch this, so any mistakes made are mine. Eiri's innocent, I tell ya! _INNOCENT!_
> 
> No, I am NOT "anti-Valentines Day" in any way. I'm actually a pretty ~~hopeless-~~ romantic-type of guy. 
> 
> And yes, the title IS a pun of Law's heart-stealing ability. (^_~)
> 
> Ryuichi  
> *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

A straw hat on his head,

he went to the water.

Seven tears he shed,

his offering to the ocean.

And so the man waited.

In his hand a fish,

fat and newly-caught.

The man waited more.

As the sun dipped low,

he heard a splash,

then another.

Closer it came,

and closer still.

Until at his feet

sat a round seal

with spots abound.

It stood on hind flippers

and peeled off its skin.

Underneath stood a man.

So very handsome

tan skin dripping wet

setting-sun gold eyes.

The man gasped

and held up the fish.

“What is it you desire?”

asked the seal turned man.

The man sighed then spoke

“I am not happy.

I wish to have a mate.”

The selkie frowned.

“I am male,” he said.

The man smiled.

“I know,” he answered.

“I still want you.”

The selkie smiled.

“Truly do you want me?”

“Yes I do,” replied the man.

The selkie took the fish.

“I accept your offer.”

 

The man took the selkie home,

introduced to brothers two,

moved into their house

and became family.

The man loved the selkie

and the selkie loved the man.

For three years they lived

as boyfriend and boyfriend.

 

Around the man’s neck

hung a silver key.

Never did he take it off.

When the selkie asked

“To what does it unlock?”

The man would just smile.

 

One day did the man leave

To earn gold for his love.

The selkie was left alone.

He cleaned the house

but came upon a trunk.

In the attic it sat.

Dusty and hidden.

He dusted it off

open it he tried

but it was locked shut.

He put it back

but did not forget.

 

Again did the man

need to earn money.

The man worked hard

but got injured

knocked unconscious

and was carried home.

He needed bandages.

He needed care.

The selkie bathed him.

Bandaged his wounds.

Made him soup to swallow.

But the man slept on.

 

The brothers blamed

the man’s dire injuries

on the poor selkie.

“He wanted to buy

you a gift for your

upcoming nuptials.

He’s been saving

for a very long time.

His pain is your fault.

His sleep is your fault.

His scar is your fault.”

The selkie’s golden eyes

filled with guilty tears

at the cruel words.

 

So in the deep of the night

the selkie stole the silver key

from around his beloved’s neck.

And went to the attic to the trunk.

He placed the key in the lock

and turn it he did.

The key opened the lock

the selkie lifted the lid

and peered inside.

 

Therein lay his skin spotted

lovingly oiled and folded.

A bag of gold sat upon it

alongside a note.

“Give me 100 gold coins

and I will give you a wedding gift grand.”

written in red ink.

The selkie sniffed

and recognized the blood

of his unconscious love.

He counted the coins

and found 90 gold true.

 

He closed the lid

and hurried to their bed.

Lifting the mattress

where his love lay

he pulled out ten coins gold

and went to the attic.

He took out a knife sharp

and pricked his finger.

Turned over the note

and wrote in blood.

The selkie took the skin

and locked tight the trunk.

 

He crept into the bedroom,

returning the key

and kissed his love.

The man smiled

but slept on, unawares.

 

The brothers returned

to find the man smiling

silver key upon his breast,

a note and ten gold coins

by his bedside.

 

The man later woke

as if from a long nap.

Stretching, he yawned

and saw the gold.

He pushed it aside

and lifted the note.

Reading it, he cried out.

His brothers came running

To see their youngest cry.

As the tears flowed, he handed

the oldest the note

who read out loud

its newly-written words.

“Always do you have my heart.

But now I have my skin.

To the ocean I will return

to atone for your injuries.”

 

So to this very day

The man stands at the ocean.

To wait for the return

of the selkie that holds his heart.

 


	2. He Shows His Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luffy waits. And waits. And waits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My muse wouldn’t let me stop the prose-story where it is. I have no idea where this second part came from. 
> 
> So here’s the sequel to my 2018 Valentine's Day prose-story. 
> 
> Dedicated to @lululawlawlu and @aimlys. Hope I mended your broken hearts with this.

 

For ten years he waited

every day, by the ocean

for his love to return.

And every night he prayed

for his love to be safe

 

The man no longer smiled

no longer laughed.

His brothers understood

why he hoped and prayed.

True Love’s ruby red arrow

had embedded itself deep

in the youngest’s beating heart.

 

So the brothers made sure

that he had what he needed.

Food, sleep, his straw hat

to always shade his face

from the blinding sun.

 

The man waited and hoped.

Until one silvery night

as he turned to go

he heard a voice that he

thought he’d never again hear.

 

“You waited for me

all of this time.

I could not stay away.

But I cannot return

to the man I once was.”

 

The man cried out to the spotted seal

that once was his lover.

“What deed must I do

to be able to be with you?”

 

The seal came closer

and looked up at the man.

“This spell I have is the answer

to our problems, My Heart.

But you must leave the land

and forever be like myself.

 

For the spell to work

you must give up something precious

I cannot help you with this

or the spell will not work.”

 

The man felt his heart leap.

Words fell from his lips.

He meant every one.

“I will give up whatever is needed

in order to be with you, My Love!

My heart is only for you.

My love is only for you.”

 

The man’s brothers returned

in time to see the reunion.

They hurried across the sand

and heard their youngest’s words.

 

The eldest hung his head.

The middle tried to smile

but instead he spoke

to the pair on the beach.

 

“It is our fault your love left.

We blamed him for your scar.

We blamed him for your pain.

We blamed him for your sleep

from which you took a week to wake.

But as your elder brothers

we feared for your very life.

 

You have long been sad.

Life without your love hurt you.

So go if you must

and we will be most happy

that your love has returned.”

 

The youngest stared at his elders.

He couldn’t believe his ears.

They wanted him to be happy

and were willing to give him up

to the ocean, never again

for the trio to meet.

 

“I love you, my brothers.

Know that I always will.

But to the side of my True Love

I sincerely need to be.

I understand your past anger.

I understand your past pain.

But you are my brothers

and love you I always shall.”

 

The man turned to his love

and faced the spotted seal.

“I accept the conditions of the spell

whatever they may be.

I have love here on land.

That I know is true.

I wish to share my life

with you once again.

What do I need to do

to meet the spell’s conditions?”

 

The seal came closer

golden eyes shone like coins

in the bright full moon’s light.

“You have already done what

the spell needs from you.

You have forgiven those

that have most grievously

hurt your damaged heart

Know that it will fully heal

with the spell I now will cast.”

 

The seal began to chant.

The man turned to his brothers

a smile once again they saw.

Their hearts leapt at the sight

of their youngest’s joyous face.

 

He began to shift, to morph, to shape

into a seal spotted similar.

His straw hat now a light mark

upon his bowed head.

Its ribbon red, a collar brown

now encircled his neck.

 

His elders watched the magic

of the man turned spotted seal.

They watched him nuzzle

the seal they knew he loved.

They smiled despite the pain

of knowing he will not return.

The elders did turn to go,

but they heard the youngest’s voice

one last time above the waves.

 

“I will always love you, my brothers,

but to my True Love's side I return.

You will hear our joyous cries

whenever the moon is full."

 

When the brothers turned to look,

the lovers were already gone.

They heard their happy barks

as the waves floated out to sea.

 

So from that moon forward

two brothers would return to the shore.

They would hear the lovers call out to each other

in the clear water so silvery bright

and upon all their faces, blissful smiles.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s proof I’m a ~~hopeless~~ romantic.


End file.
